Germany to overturn homosexuality convictions, provide compensation

Germany will overturn the convictions of thousands of men found guilty under a now-abolished law that banned homosexuality, Justice Minister Heiko Maas announced Wednesday.

The law was introduced in 1871 and repealed in 1994.

About 50,000 men in West Germany were convicted of homosexuality between 1949 and 1969, when enforcement was scaled back, the New York Times reported. A further 3,500 men were convicted before the law was rescinded.

Maas said the government now plans to introduce legislation to overturn the convictions, remove them from criminal records, and compensate those who suffered under the law.

“We will never be able to eliminate completely these outrages by the state, but we want to rehabilitate the victims,” Maas said in a statement. “The homosexual men who were convicted should no longer have to live with the taint of conviction.”

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pete

A jewish deli would’t lose their business for refusing to serve a ham & cheess sndwich..A Muslim business wouldn’t lose their business for refusing to serve a tenderloin lunch at a pork producerss convention…An Atheist baker wouldn’t lose their business for refusing to provide a Christmas cake decorated with the nativity scene…Yet a Christian business being forced to throw away their religious beliefs to submit to the rights of others…lgbt …equal rights means equality for Christians…yes Christian lives matter